A Detroit Lions fan who got into a verbal altercation with Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been permanently banned from attending NFL games and has had his season tickets revoked. Fahad Yousif, who was on the field during the Packers-Lions game to hold the flag for the national anthem, engaged in trash-talking with Packers players and coaches.
Yousif admitted he was wrong and expressed regret, acknowledging that he may have embarrassed fans and the organization, though that was not his intention.
After the incident, LaFleur criticized the fan’s behavior, noting he had never witnessed anything like it before. “He was talking trash to our players, making the throat-slash gesture, and when I tried to de-escalate, he got in my face,” LaFleur said. “It was unsportsmanlike.”
Yousif has signed up for a mandatory four-hour conduct course and hopes to return to the stands for the Lions’ next game against the Buffalo Bills.